Baaz: A Bird in Danger

2003 l U/A l 162 Mins l Rating:

One stormy night in Nainital, India a girl called Naina gets brutally murdered by an unknown figure. The police have been unable to locate any evidence at the crime scene. The case is handed down to police inspector, Harshvardan and his fellow companion, inspector Preeti Rastogi. To there shock, a young woman called Neha Chopra moves into Major. Jai Singh Dabral's mansion to seek a small job, she does get it and in the process falls in love with a painter by profession, Raj Singh, who is said to be the prime suspect of killing Naina. When Neha visits Raj house she finds evidence and conclude that he is the killer. Even worst, inspector Preeti is murdered and her body is found planted in Raj's house. Now all evidences point at him and he will not be able to escape the noose.

Movie Review

Every human being has a split personality. The story of Kapishek Films P. Ltd.'s BAAZ %uFFFD A BIRD IN DANGER, directed by Tinu Verma, revolves around one such person.

He resides in the scenic hill station town of Nainital. Neha Chopra [Karisma Kapoor], an interior designer, is hired by Mayor Jai Singh Dabral [Jackie Shroff] to beautify his old bungalow. But she is least aware that the human 'baaz' is all set to make her a prey.

Who is this 'baaz'? Is it the Mayor Jai Singh Dabral or her neighbour Raj Singh [Dino Meora] or is it Harshvardhan [Sunil Shetty]? Nonetheless, all three are in love with the beautiful Neha, which means one wants to make her his prey and the other two want to save her from the clutches of the human 'baaz'?

Preeti Rastogi [Preeti Jhangiani], a well-wisher of Neha, gets to know the secret of the human 'baaz', but in doing such a daring act, loses her life. So does Neha fall prey to 'baaz'?

The story of BAAZ %uFFFD A BIRD IN DANGER takes off on an interesting note when the winner of the beauty contest [Aditi Gowitrikar] is brutally murdered by the serial killer, who leaves his trademark needle and dagger next to her dead body. The director succeeds in building the suspense by keeping the identity of the suspect concealed.

However, the pace slackens once the focus shifts to Karisma Kapoor. From here, the story deviates to the romantic track, when she develops a strong affection for Dino, which culminates into love when he saves her from a fatal accident. The story comes to a standstill at this juncture.

It is only towards the interval point that the story gathers momentum, when Karisma finds the trademark instruments of the killer at Dino's place. The goings-on become interesting, but the pace drops, picks up, drops again in the post-interval portions.

The second half has several unwanted sequences and how one wishes the editor would've used the scissors judiciously. For instance, a lengthy, imaginary sequence, where the police superintendent catches the prime suspect murdering Karisma, followed by a water fight, was just not required. Actually, the sequence confuses the viewer no end.

The script [Shyam K. Goel] has several loopholes, with several questions left unanswered. One wonders why the writer chose to show Jackie Shroff as a wayward person. Or Dino Morea acting suspicious all the while. In fact, one scene shows him tearing Karisma's painting with a knife, which is left unexplained till the very end.

On the other hand, there do exist a handful of sequences that deserve mention, but individual sequences cannot uplift a mediocre script to great heights. Yet, the scene depicting Aditi's sister, who comes out of coma before she dies of a shock, is well executed.

The action scenes in the climax, when Karisma is rescued, are also noteworthy. The haunting background score [Ismail Darbar] enhances the impact to a major extent.

Directorially, Tinu Verma shows promise in the second half, although the screenplay lets him down. Tinu follows the rules of a thriller, but the film somehow lacks the grip to keep the viewer enthralled. The goings-on are not as terrifying or pulsating as one would've expected them to be, thanks to a bland screenplay.

Ismail Darbar's music is easy on the ears, but the film lacks a haunting score so vital for a genre like this. 'Chehre Pe Din Hain Zulfo Mein Raat Hain' and 'Ae Subah Tu Shabnami' are decent numbers.

Karisma Kapoor looks lovely and does a decent job. Dino Morea is likeable, showing vast improvement over his previous performances. Jackie Shroff is convincing in the role of an eccentric Mayor. Sunil Shetty springs a surprise, delivering a competent performance. Preeti Jhangiani makes her presence felt. Suhasini Mulay is just about okay.

On the whole, BAAZ A BIRD IN DANGER stands on a weak foundation %uFFFD the script. Pitted against two more films as also the World Cup will also tell on its business.